“What motivates me is money and winning,” Lawal said at Thursday’s Bellator 120 pre-fight media session. “The history, that stuff is old, you know what I’m saying? Three years ago. What motivates me is winning and getting that cash, that paycheck.”

Lawal and Jackson headline Saturday’s Bellator 120 event, which serves as Bellator MMA’s first pay-per-view event and takes place at Landers Center in Southaven, Miss. The bout is being billed as one of the most intense rivalries in the history of the sport, and while there is a history of both men jawing back and forth, Lawal says that’s not what’s driving him.

Instead, it’s all about the win bonus.

“All that gossiping and bumping gums don’t mean nothing,” Lawal said. “The only thing that matters is me taking care of business in that cage and getting my check. That’s it.”